What does it look like when neurological and multiple rare conditions progress at the same time, and treatment is delayed?

It looks like loss of mobility, cognitive decline, and increasing risk of stroke.

That is where Saman is today.

Update: $15,000 has been raised toward Saman’s urgent medical care. This support has been vital in maintaining her treatment so far.

However, it is not enough.

A total of $100, 000 is required for stabilization, and $45,000 is still urgently needed to prevent:

This is a time-sensitive medical window, where delays can directly lead to irreversible outcomes.

Saman before illness — a researcher and humanitarian dedicated to environmental and social impact.

Who Saman Is

Saman is a highly accomplished researcher and humanitarian who built her life through academic excellence and service. She holds a master’s degree from Yale University School of the Environment, completed her undergraduate studies at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), and pursued doctoral research at the University of Melbourne.

Her work has focused on climate justice and supporting vulnerable communities across regions that are often overlooked. She has spent her life advocating for others. Today, she is fighting to preserve her own health and independence.

Understanding the Medical Crisis

Saman’s condition is the result of complex and overlapping disorders that have progressed over time due to delayed diagnosis and limited access to continuous care.

Among these, three critical areas now require urgent and uninterrupted treatment.

Neurological Lyme Disease (Brain & Nervous System Involvement)

Saman is currently living with late-stage neurological Lyme disease, a severe form of infection that affects the central nervous system. At this stage, the illness impacts brain function, nerve signaling, and immune response.

She experiences:

Unlike early-stage Lyme disease, this condition requires specialized treatment, often involving advanced therapies that are not covered by insurance.

Gaps in care can lead to rapid worsening of inflammation, further organ damage, and a significant decline in recovery potential. Stabilizing her condition depends on maintaining consistency of care.

Tethered Cord Syndrome (Progressive Spinal Cord Damage)

Tethered Cord Syndrome is a serious neurological condition in which the spinal cord is abnormally restricted and placed under constant tension. Over time, this tension damages the spinal cord and the nerves connected to essential bodily functions.

In Saman’s case, this has already led to:

Although Saman has completed pre-operative evaluations, she is currently unable to proceed due to lack of resources required for safe recovery.

To move forward with surgery, she urgently needs:

Recovery from this surgery is intensive and cannot be managed alone. Without proper post-operative support, even a successful procedure may not lead to full recovery.

Long COVID has further aggravated Saman’s condition by affecting multiple systems in her body. It can significantly slow healing and increase the risk associated with both ongoing treatments and upcoming surgery. Long COVID also requires additional medical management, adding to the urgency and complexity of her care.

A Medical and Housing Crisis Far From Home

Saman is facing an overwhelming medical and housing crisis entirely on her own, far away from her family and without any real safety net. After losing her housing and nearly all of her belongings due to mold and fiberglass contamination, she has been forced to rely on unstable short-term lodging, rapidly exhausting the little financial stability she had left.

A serious fall left her with significant hip and knee injuries, making even basic movement extremely painful. She has undergone medical imaging, but needs ongoing rehabilitation and regenerative injections to prevent further deterioration, while also undergoing evaluation for a serious cerebrovascular condition. Yet without stable housing, caregiving support, or financial resources, accessing proper care has become incredibly difficult.

Shelter housing is unsafe given her severely immunocompromised condition, while limited public assistance falls far short of covering basic necessities. Accessible and allergy friendly housing is also expensive to secure with Section 8 waiting lists being closed. Saman is ineligible for Social Security benefits because she has not accumulated the minimum number of work credits required.

Rising medical and insurance costs have only deepened the crisis, her only sibling was denied a visa to come care for her, and her medically frail mother briefly traveled from South Asia to support her but was ultimately forced to leave amid the worsening instability. It has been a devastating separation for a family that has already suffered the loss of a son in a fatal car accident, to see their loving daughter suffer like this.

Struggling through chronic illness, disability, displacement, and profound isolation, Saman is now trying to survive an unimaginable situation completely alone.

Why Financial Help Is Critical Right Now

This is not general fundraising, it is immediate, targeted support to stabilize Saman’s condition and prevent irreversible decline.

This funding will ensure:

Without these resources:

Saman’s condition is complex, but the situation is clear. Your support at this stage can directly impact whether she is able to recover—or faces irreversible loss of function.

We are also entering the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah, the most beloved days of the year to Allah. The Prophet ﷺ said: "There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days."

And he ﷺ said: "Whoever relieves a believer of a hardship of this world, Allah will relieve him of a hardship on the Day of Resurrection."

If you cannot give, please make duʿāʾ for her. Ask Allah for a complete shifa, a healing that leaves no illness behind. That, more than anything else, is what we are asking from you.

Allahumma ishfihi shifa'an la yughadiru saqama

Follow Saman’s Personal Journey

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/standbysaman/?hl=en

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/helpsamanrecover

*Note: Saman is the sole beneficiary of this campaign and zakat eligible. A group of Saman’s friends are organizing this on her behalf. Saman considers the help she receives here on Gofundme to be an amana/trust from the community.

**For any questions about her plan of care and breakdown of expenses, please contact the campaign organizers by clicking contact support on this page. You can make a tax deductible donation as well since we are partnering with a non profit foundation, by reaching out to us directly.